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Since its arrival at the red planet in December 2003, imagery of ESA's Mars Express mission enjoys great popularity, with the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) onboard the spacecraft, which is operated by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), playing a major role. Since January 2004, ESA, DLR and Freie Universität Berlin continuously and jointly publish still and moving high-resolution images of Mars' surface. read more

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Does something seem different here? That is right! The DLR blogs site has a new look.

We have just redesigned the DLR blogs site - and it was high time. The previous DLR blogs design was largely based on the old DLR Web portal, which was replaced with a new look back in 2011.

The new blog design features larger images, brighter colours and larger fonts, with the result being a more contemporary and clear layout. It was particularly important to us for the blog site to be useable on all types of devices, so that the content can be searched for and viewed on mobile devices without problems. We also wanted the new design to take account of the considerable developments in social networking that have occurred since the previous version was created in January 2010.

New design - new possibilities

Quelle: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)

The previous DLR blogs design was largely based on the old DLR Web portal, which was replaced with a new look back in 2011

Quelle: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)

What you see today arose from these requirements. From now on, the DLR blogs are also available in a flexible design suitable for both smartphones and tablets. The website automatically adapts to match the screen width of the device, ensuring that the reader always profits from maximum legibility without having to sacrifice features or content.

The new blogs homepage provides a quick summary of the latest posts. Here, the focus is primarily on the posts. Therefore, site services such as 'About us' and 'Imprint' are located at the bottom of the page. When it comes to subject blogs (for example, Jan Wörner or Aeronautics), the entries continue to be arranged sequentially as was the case before. In addition, they offer a preview, which can vary in length and be supplemented with images, YouTube videos and Flickr galleries.

The tag lists for the various blogs were located at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar; now, when each blog is opened, it is immediately visible and offers an integral summary of the blog topics. Links to Twitter, Flickr and the DLR web portal have now been added below the tag list.

The connections with social media have also been promoted in other parts of the new DLR blogs site. Just a couple of clicks is all it takes for individual posts to be shared via Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. The DLR channels and the individual platforms can, of course, also be accessed via the icons at the top of the page. The comment function for each post has been supplemented with an additional field. It is now possible to draw attention to your own blog or website by posting a comment.

The author pages are a new addition to the DLR Blogs site. This is where the individual bloggers introduce themselves and their work. These pages offer an overview of the blog posts by the specific blogger. Also, inactive blogs no longer disappear from view. Completed projects can still be accessed via the blogs archive in the sidebar.

What works stays, and new features have been added

The concept and design of the blogs did not simply come about overnight. To begin with, ideas, wishes and requirements had to be gathered; these then formed the framework for the new design. The old blog articles had to be able to retain their appearance and new ones should offer more room for development.

So, a solution had to be found - one that retained the old articles, while being able to handle the more sophisticated requirements. This was a task that we could not have completed without the support of our partners. The anyMOTION agency first translated our requirements for the new DLR blog into a design. Then the software company Werum took care of templating and ensured that the design could be implemented in our content management system.

Of course, at this point, it would not be fair to fail to mention our colleagues in the DLR Communication online team, who enthusiastically addressed the requirements for the new DLR blogs, discussed diverse suggestions in multiple meetings without ever reaching universal agreement, and yet nevertheless managed to reach an acceptable compromise.

Let us know your opinion

Because everyone’s tastes differ, we are sure that yours do as well. Please use the comment function to let us know what you think of the new site. We will be happy to receive praise, constructive criticism and suggestions.

Enjoy the new blogs site, whether you are using a computer, a smartphone or a tablet!

The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission will explore the origins of the Solar System by studying Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, one of its oldest and most primordial bodies. The mission consists of an orbiter and the Philae lander. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) has played a significant role in the development of Philae and operates the Lander Control Centre in Cologne. DLR is preparing for and will manage the difficult, daring and, never before attempted. landing on the comet nucleus.
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The new short-arm human centrifuge was installed in :envihab at DLR Cologne between late February and early March 2013. Installation of the 'heart of :envihab' lasted several weeks. We took advantage of this rare opportunity to take a closer look at the individual stages of the installation (with time-lapse video).
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The revolutionary SpaceLiner concept offers a unique vision for a high-speed passenger transportation system of the future by seamlessly spanning the boundaries between aviation and spaceflight. Currently under design at the German Aerospace Center, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), the ultra-fast hypersonic spaceplane is designed to transport 50 passengers from Australia to Europe in an unprecedented 90 minutes.
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The DLR Magazine is the most important printed media in DLR’s communication portfolio. In spite of this, or rather, especially because of this, it is now available for tablets such as the iPad and devices running the Android operating system.
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Three space agencies, DLR, ESA and NASA, as well as their astronauts tweet, blog and post messages on a wide array of social media channels; often, they or respectively their astronauts even do so from space. Why do they do this, and how does it work? Here is what astronauts and social media experts at DLR, ESA and NASA had to say on this subject at re:publica 2012, Germany’s largest and most prominent conference on the future of society and all things digital.
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Live webcasts have become increasingly common, enabling any Internet user to follow spaceflight events such as launches, dockings or daily life on board the International Space Station (ISS). But there is a way to experience the wonder of spaceflight even more directly – with your own eyes. This is because the Space Station is visible at certain times as a small, bright point of light moving rapidly across the morning or evening sky. Many people are fascinated when they observe the ISS in this way, especially for the first time. In this blog entry I will explain how you can observe the ISS yourself.
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I have great pleasure in announcing that members of DLR, NASA and ESA will be participating in a session at re:publica Berlin from 2 to 4 May 2012. According to the organisers, re:publica is “Germany’s largest and most prominent conference on the future of society and all things digital.”
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Last week, on 28/29 March 2012, the fourth European SpaceTweetup took place in Toulouse, France. A good reason to blog about the reach and numbers of such a communication measure.
Plenty has already been written about the first European Space Tweetup, organised by DLR and ESA, which took place in September 2011, so I will - with some delay - now just concentrate on the numbers here. For any readers who want to know more about the SpaceTweetup and find out what it was all about, I recommend this or that blog article.
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